St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-03-09
A NEW YORK HORROR.
One of the Celebrated Railway Lines the
Scene of Panic and Loss
of Life.
The Accident the Result of Fire and
a General Blockade of
Trains.
Three Persons Killed Outright by
Falling to the Street Pave
ment Below.

Three Persons Killed Outright by
Falling to the street Pave
ment Below.
New YORK. March S.-A fire occurred
at o'clock this morning in the store of
Nicoll, the tailor, in the Bowery. The
trains on the elevated railroad were blocked
by the flames. The blockade occurred all
the way down to South Ferry, and Oh the
down track up to Seventeenth street. A
man named Patrick Mathews, who was
standing on the platform of the third car.
opened the gate and got out Oh the narrow
platform. He started to walk to the Four
teenth street station. and was followed by
q number of men who were anxious to get
to their work When within fifteen feet of
the station the train started. Mathews
was panlc-stricken and suppossing that he
was going to fall off the platform to the
street below, he clutched hold Of the man
who was standing beside him, and they
both fell to the GROUND and were instantly
killed. The other men became panic
stricken and jumped into the street. The
greatest excitement spread among the pas
sengers. and it was as much as the train
hands could do to keep them in the cars
and to prevent them from jumping from
the train. A rumor was circulated that
collision had occurred. The women in the
cars
SCREAMED AND TAINTED.
They were in midair and no restoratives
could be procured. At last the train was
brought to the station and most of the pas
sengers got off and took the surface cars
down town. 1t was nearly s o'clock be-
tAI
on regular time. The distance which the
men fell was about twenty feet. A police
man was standing Oh the corner at the time
and as soon as he saw what had occurred he
sent in ambulance calls. The narrow plat
form from which the people fell was about
two and half feet wide. 1t is used by the
trackmen when OH duty, and above Four
teenth street it is not provided with hand
rail. When the passengers left the blocked
cars and took to tine platform. the gatemen
of the trains offered no objections. as they
ought to have done. The crowd that left
the cars for the platform was composed
wholly of men. There were comparatively
few women in the blocked trains, and none.
SO far as known, ventured upon the track.
A long cortege of men was picking its way
slowly when suddenly the train ahead
started up and began to move. The next
one followed suit, and successive series of
jerks went along the line up to the last
train. Each of them shook the track with
convulsive movement that frightened
those in front and made them hurry ahead
rapidly to reach the station safely. Those
behind saw that
THEY WE'RE SCARED
and grew nervous in turn. Some of them
were looking anXiously around for a sup
port, and bunch of a dozen moving in
single file just below Fifteenth street i'll
sight of the platform hurried nervously for
ward to catch a gate of the nearest car.
when the train OF which it was part sud-
denly started ahead and nearly shook the
foremost one off his feet. Shrinking back
in fright from the moving wheels, he
crowded against the mali behind and on the
very edge of the narrow plank walk. From
below, where crowd was watching the
progress of the promenaders in mid-air. a
shout of warning arose. but too late. The
man seized wildly at his neighbor in terror
of his life. the latter drew back, but the
crowd behind was pressing on. AS the
train was moving on the right. those farther
behind saw momentary punching of the
crowd in front, and then one, two. half a
dozen were seen falling over the edge into
the street below, from which arose fright
ened wall that turned into shrieks of terror
and despair as man after man struck
the pavement and lay mangled and bleed
ing. Then followed wild rush in
the street, and wilder and more desperate
one in the air. The ventureSome pedestrians
caught at the gates of the train as it passed.
and clung with the grip of despair. 1t
pulled up and was stopped almost i'm
mediately. The frightened and breathless
men were pulled in and room made for the
others. In two minutes the plank walk
was clear. Down below in the street
A SCENE OF HORROR
was in progress. The men had fallen in
the middle of the street on the surface car
track. In CHASTITY heap they lay, some
motionless, some groaning family, and one
shriel1ing wildly i'll pain and terror. A
crowd of thousands who had watched the
blockade from below, surged around and
closed in upon the scene. A police officer
who had witnessed the occurrence sent out
lis for ambulances While volunteers
were sorting out the heap of the fallen, and
policemen were urging back the crowd, the
ambulances arrived. The surgeons
turned in to render immediate
and pressing aid, and the ambuIances
received their load and galloped back to the
hospitals Ten had fallen from the track
all told-that is ten were found dead OF in
jured. If any escaped unhurt they are not
counted. The three at the bottom of the
heap were dead. They had fallen first and
had mashed in their skulls one and all.
For them the dead wagon was called and
they were taken to the morgue. Several of
them were more or less desperately injured.
The fire gained such Roadway that the
whole available force Of firemen in the dis
trict were summoned to fight it. The
flames spread to the lower frame buildings
143 and 149 on either side of the burning
building 1t took the firemen fully an hour
and half to get the upper hand of the
flames, but in that time the buildings were
entirely destroyed and those adjoining upon
them on Christie street and Rome street
filled with water and badly injured. The
total loss was not much less than 500. 900,
and several people had narrow escpes for